After endless speculation over his future, Wide Receiver Amari Cooper has been traded by the Cowboys to the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 5th-Round pick and a swap of picks in the 6th Round. The move frees up $16 million in salary cap space for Dallas.
With Cooper already been targeted as a potential cap casualty since their season ended, the Cowboys are at least getting something back in addition to the cap space. But this is a low return for a 27-year-old WR1 who they traded a 1st-Round pick for in 2018.
Unfortunately, all the talk about Amari’s unlikely future in Dallas must have limited their leverage in trade talks.
The #Cowboys fielded calls all week from several teams. In the end, the salary was an issue. But the #Browns will now take on the entire contract, as Dallas felt someone would. https://t.co/JFxinHBbO8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2022
The Cowboys now add the 155th overall pick (5th Round) to their arsenal for the upcoming draft. They will also move up from the 201st pick to the 192nd pick in the 6th Round in the swap with Cleveland.
The key here is the cap space, giving Dallas close to $20 million in flexibility now to handle offseason business. They are reportedly pursuing new contracts with WR Michael Gallup and DE Randy Gregory among others, and have recently been linked to free agent LB Bobby Wagner.
Bringing Gallup back now becomes paramount as Cooper’s departure leaves CeeDee Lamb and Noah Brown as the only experienced receivers current under contract for 2022.
